What's in a name?

I get invited to join kitty parties or coffee morning groups, which is probably a good way to acquaint yourself with your neighbors or the community residents. Of course it would help if you are socially  inclined and you don't mind some gossip and general bitchiness. I end up declining most invitations,   because I'm not exactly an extrovert, I prefer small gatherings where there is more possibility of having a fabulous  conversation  and I happen to be quite possessive about my 'me time''. 

And so when I apologetically  decline,  they look at me as if I were an alien and whisper "But then what do you do, how do you spend your day?"

That question puts me in a dilemma. Do I give them an hour by hour analysis of my day or do I break it gently to them that I sit there and blink my eyes and 5 hours pass by just like that. Going by past experiences, and depending on how communicative I feel at that moment, I reply 

"Nothing" or "Something" (You cannot have teens in your life and not have their monosyllabic responses rub off on you)

There are times when I turn amnesiac and I animatedly answer " I love to crochet"

Which is the truth. After story writing, content writing, paper quilling, painting and blogging, crochet is my current passion and work. Creating trendy designs from colorful yarn fuels my creative energies and gives me immense satisfaction, not to mention the pleasure  I feel when people  send me pictures of them wearing my creations or using them. 

I get various reactions to this simple statement.

Reaction 1: " Blink, blink blink, and then a very knowledgeable " Aah,  you must mean knitting?"

I roll my eyes, heave a sigh and hiss ferociously  "NO, it's not knitting, knitting is different, DIFFERENT. You hear me,  DIFFERENT. This is called crochet, it uses a hook and yarn and have you heard of google....hello, come back I was talking?!"

Reaction 2: "Blink blink blink" 

a pause 

and then "but I thought only old people do crochet"

I roll my eyes, and peer at the offending soul who has just realised what he/she has implied. Before I can get myself into sarcasm mode, the person has beaten a quick retreat, thanking her stars that her good sense has kicked in faster than my tongue. 

Reaction 3: "blink blink blink"" and an "Okayyy" accompanied by a "deer caught in the headlights" look which implies  "I have no clue what you are talking about"

That's when the fog of temporary amnesia lifts and I realise the futility of even trying.

So the last time I got asked this, I answered "I'm a yarn artist". After all, my eyes needed rest. Rolling those eyes can get quite tiring, besides there is only that much that they can roll back.

Reaction Magnifique : "WOW! Can I have your card? Do you have a website? What do you do? blah? blah?"

And just like that , with just two words. my image got a makeover. 

Sigh.

eye-openers

There was a tough month last year, where I was the designated nurse to everyone's pain, ranging from a near slip disc to a bad bout of viral.

Of course, since the Murphy guy was stalking me, I had to fall sick too, with a fever and the cold. Right in the middle of the14yr-old's final exams.

*PJ alert
Q: Why does the school schedule the final exams right before the christmas holidays?
A: That's to make sure we have truly truly deserved the holidays!
*Over 
:P

So I felt terrible, the cold had made me sound unintelligible and my vocal skills were being truly tested by the boys.

In frustration, I screamed (if you call that guttural noise which emanated from me a scream)

"I'm fed up. That's It! I'm going to the Himalayas"

"What did you say?" two voices screamed back in unision...

I hollered out again" You guys are troubling me so much, that i want to go to the himalayas"

The big boy, all of 14, came out from his study area and said in his trademark deadpan style "What? you are going to the Mallyas, YUCK, you should have better taste, amma!"

*Sigh

"Go back and put your nose back in your history books" I remember saying...hiding a smile.

It strikes me again, as it has been for the past few months, that this equation between us has changed tremendously. There is this ease between us, and it is a lovely change from the disciplining mode.Ofcourse he's 4inches taller than my 5.6 self and that by itself has tilted the balance in his favor. See, it makes it so difficult to see eye to eye with someone who is taller than you :/


There are times where we laugh at each other, and there are days when we are having a screaming match.

There are many times I have to remind myself that I am the parent here, there are days when it gets frustrating, especially when you feel like you are the only one talking, there are days when it gets scary, because you don't know whether what you are doing is the right thing or not, but most days it's pretty good.


And I wish to myself that even though some days seem too tough and disheartening to get by, the good moments far outnumber the sad ones and that we come out of it all, stronger and wiser from all that life doles out, in the name of teenage angst and parenting fundas.

Of course the wisest perspective sometimes comes from your very own miniature creations.

The nine yr. old recently consoled me with this gyan "Its okay amma, if I take AGES to do this, it is all part of the learning process!" *never mind that we were talking about homework here!

Once I picked up my jaw from the floor, I couldn't but nod vigorously in agreement.

Ting-Tong, Just for me!

My doorbell is the most used object in my house. Especially in the evening, when my 9yrold is at home. He opens the door, waltzes into the neighboring house to pat their dog, and then 5minutes later he's at my door ringing the doorbell, again, to be let in. And the whole thing repeats itself 15 minutes later!

I need to get skates, answering the doorbell would be such a rolling affair!

There are many times it rings in his absence and I find out that the person actually meant to ring the neighbor's doorbell. I H.A.T.E that.

The other day, I was quite busy and had done the doorbell answering routine a bit too often to my liking. A friend was over and we had just settled down to some filter kaapi, when ting tong, the doorbell beckoned me. 

And I fling open the door, and the mail guy meekly hands me this! OH!LOOK it has my name on it!!

                                            

and It's just for me!

The only cards I get are the ones from my kids, and erm...theonein365daysfromG, so to say I was thrilled was an understatement. It was not totally a surprise, because i knew she was going to send me something, because she had asked for my mailing address a few days back. But to actually receive this beautiful quilled artwork and read the lovely message inside, truly made my day. 

Knowing that she has made out time to send out handmade cards, in the midst of a very hectic routine makes this even more special, and is quite humbling too.

In my excitement, I forgot to mention who the she is! Of course if you've read '34 Bubblegums and Candies' and her latest bestseller 'Life is what you make it", then you shouldn't be wondering at all. And if you haven't read them yet, then you should be reading them right now!

Thank you tons, Preeti, for the treasured message, for the warmth of the gesture and for the friendship it signifies. 

I should be writing more, but them words, they have a way of deserting me when I need them the most.

:))

Gasp....aack...Whaaaaaat? It's 2012? ALREADY?!!!!!!

Don't mind the histrionics, That was just my blog reviving to life every now and then.

Here's hoping 2012 sees more posts here, less status updates on Facebook, more news, less drama,  more ....whatever!

Like my 9yr young wise owl tells me not so subtly "Practice makes one perfect, Amma", I plan to take my own advice very seriously! *(btw that 'advice' was shot back at me when they proclaimed that my lasagna was not as good as my first attempt!!!! Priorities, I tell you)

This year, I hope to learn at least one new thing, and let go of something!

How about you guys?

and Yesss, Happy 2012 to all you readers :)

Of friends and friends...

Last Diwali, we had just moved back to India, specifically Delhi. It is hard to believe a year has already passed since then and here I am now in the last month of the year, still wondering how the months flew.


Settling back in India was not a breeze.  Sadly most things which i enjoyed, like blogging came to a standstill. My mind seemed always in a volatile mood and it was not easy to keep it still long enough and write my thoughts all down .


Then not so recently I got a lovely email from a college friend , L.


Among the many things she wrote, was "Are you going to give me lame excuses for not updating your blog or do you just want to spare yourself the trouble by posting something? "


erm...yeah, she can be very subtle :)


so here i am posting.


This post's for you, L, for always giving that wallop...erm..little nudge, when I need it. 


Funny thing is L and I were nothing but nodding acquaintances in college, and I sort of used to compete with her as far as English was concerned, *in my mind. I always used to think that she would become an author or something close to that.


After college, we went our separate ways, and were nothing but reminders of another age, another era, another world. 


Then years and years later, we both got 'facebooked' . It brought back college memories, past teachers and a lot of "wow, you look good" comments. 


I have this nice feeling about this developing friendship, not because she writes the nicest stuff about my writing but because I feel she is a lot like me. We are both nearing our forties, we have teenage sons and hence similar apprehensions and we don't write to each other much. 


It probably needs some nurturing, because we both are also erratic writers. I go through this phase of intense communication then suddenly i get into my 'hibernate' mode, because mostly i have nothing useful to say. I am a pathetic emailer and I guess she is too. 


Even then, I feel that if we were to spend a few days together, we would feel at home, reading books, just enjoying the silence, and talking because we needed to , not because we HAD to.


I remember in Dubai, I was quite content to keep to myself and indulge in things that I wanted to do. I had made up my mind that I had no time in investing in new friendships when I knew that I was not going to be in Dubai for ever. And yet I made two very good friends. It is the kind of friendship which I like best. Where we knew that we were there for each other when needed and we didn't keep tabs on who did what for whom.


I have this lovely friend in Delhi, who always makes me feel good about myself, and who never lets me put myself down. 


I've had an ex college mate landing up at my old house in Bangalore trying to find out where I was. These are surprises I love.


I've had people who thought that being friends meant also keeping tabs on favors. I wish I could let them understand that, when you don't a put a price on the friendship, you reap greater benefits. Sometimes, the person cannot return your favor, and it is not fair to make him/her feel guilty about that. It makes me value a home-cooked meal sent over when I'm unwell, that much more, when i know that it has not been recorded in a 'good favor' book to be recalled on a later day. 


I've been told that I come across as a very social person. Which I find uncomfortable, because I think I 'suck' at social talk. 


That is why perhaps, the internet is such a scarily comforting place to be in, you can be your worst, but none will ever know it.


Just goes to show that you can't plan friendships, they just happen. In perhaps the same way, this post happened unplanned!


Now I better go and shoo the Murphy guy away, he's proving to be too friendly for my good!

Erm...

It has been six months since I last posted and the reason for that had to be something phenomenal.

Right?


Sigh...

How about 'The wordsmith in me was on leave and forgot to get back?"

The only reason I've rushed to post something is because a reader who obviously does not know me too well, sort of  asked if i was expecting some 'good news'!

GULP!!!!

The only good news that I can expect right now, is that my 7 yrold who acts as if he is 13/14/15 goes back to acting his sweet 7 again.

As for me, after the great spring break, days flew and soon it was time for "The Grand Summer Break".

70 days of premier-quality parenting sort of broke my routine permanently!

India and Istanbul have been seen and raved about, the boys have been STILL behaving angelic, perhaps it is time to take out the keyboard.

Now to entice that wordsmith back. Any ideas?

This and that...

It seems like ages since I wrote here! Even though I did peek a bit every two days to read the comments.

Thank you all for the warm wishes/ecards sent on my birthday. This particular birthday was quite special because my parents , grandmom, uncle and aunt were around. It was extremely touching to see them try to surprise me with gifts and food.

(For those who missed wishing me, don't you worry...I celebrate my birthday the whole of February :)...just saying!)

The past 15 days have been very hectic but satisfying. My parents, my grandmother came a-visiting and were joined by my aunt and uncle (my mom's sister) for the last week of their stay It was fun having them around and now I miss the daily chitchat and hustle bustle in the kitchen. Everyday I would want them to sit down and chat while they would insist on evicting me from the kitchen. And so it happened that we would get out of the house by 10.30 every morning, be back just in time to pick my 7 yrold from school and then head out again in the evening after my 12 yrold returned from his school. We've gone to beaches, parks, malls, the tallest building, and a whole lot of restaurants!

This was the first time my grandmom was visiting me and there were times when i could not believe that she was actually here, with me. Ever since my grandfather passed away, 15 months ago, she's been a shadow of her old self. This trip did her a lot of good, she smiled more and she enjoyed herself, even though she missed having grandpa around.

And of course the school also thought it was a perfect time to schedule projects. The 12 yrold had to make a waterfilter. It had to be natural, it had to be different and it had to work. My son had a 'Eureka' moment in the bathtub, and rushed out, (thankfully fully clothed) to tell me his brilliant idea. Ofcourse i did what i was good at...i outsourced the project to my father. Grandfather and grandson bonded over a water filter which actually did work.

The 7 yrold had to learn about puppets. I suggested he take me along as an example, since that's what i do everyday...dance to their tunes! He was not amused and we made a pair of sock puppets instead.

Currently, we are supposed to demonstrate how lungs work using balloons, straws and a bottle. I casually told my son that the reasons my lungs worked well everyday, was solely due to them and due to the deep breaths taken and the shouting which goes on. Maybe I should go to school to demonstrate? He too was not amused!

So you take care while I brush up on my science and also try and decrease the obscene number that my google reader is currently showing.

:)

No, really, Look who's back :)

The Dubai Sentimental Times reports:


"Last night saw a very happy reunion between an otherwise sane looking woman and her ...erm...suitcase. The lost bag finally made its way back to the owner after ten days of gallivanting among strange baggage. "


It is great when something unexpected happens. It's absolutely fantastic when it happens after my shopping's done. Now that's what i call a good bag!

Aaall izz definitely well!

:) :) :)

Look who's back!

Phew! Back finally after three road trips, six cities, in 18 days. All i remember of the trip is unzipping and zipping up my bags. And a whole lot of phone calls. And ofcourse the last end of the trip where both kids decided to have a vomiting session in the middle of the night!

Relatives, temples, sarees and touching various feet of different sizes, i think i've done my whole year's quota in these two weeks.

Since there were two family fuinctions, we met hordes of relatives. The surprised way in which most greeted us, made me feel like a lost and found item. The most discussed topic must have been our weight. They looked at the kids and hubby in horror and looked at me accusingly. 'Why are they so thin?"

Finally the sarcastic me kicked the polite me and i replied 'oh, i'm too busy stuffing myself!'
He went away satisfied with the answer! Hello? come back, i was just joking!

I couldn't meet a few friends who i really wanted to, but managed to speak to a few even with the crappy coverage that Bangalore offers. I managed to meet a Delhi friend in Udupi, a college friend in Bombay (we literally jumped around like giddy children) and WIAN and I almost, almost met. We've decided that such a momentous moment must be reserved for another time :)

So now it's back to Dubai and exams and cleaning and a bit of loneliness...so ofcourse to liven things up, one of my luggage decided to play truant.

I'm still waiting for it...and everyday i realise that most items which i use everyday was in that bag. The guy at the baggage counter asked me to fill an inventory list stating the baggage's contents and its value. What value can i place on that pair of earrings which my sister had got specially for me, or that hair brush which i've been using for ages? or the food items which an uncle went all across town to get for me?

On the bright side, i need some retail therapy, and the weather in dubai is perfect.

So what's been up with you?

it's time to lug those suitcases around!

Its been an exciting week, getting ready for our upcoming trip to India. 18 days of vacation in 4, possibly 5 cities and two road trips! I'm getting the laundry done, the fridge emptied and the house clean, even if it's going to be kept locked up for two weeks. All the drama of last-minute cleaning just to experience that pleasure of walking into a neat home when we return!

I'm quite eager to chat up quite a few people when i'm in India...have to keep up with this image me as a chatterbox.


Right now, at home, everyone's tripping over half filled suitcases, muttering 'words which better not be heard' and not one has the sense to keep it to one side..that's living with boys for you!

and the way the hubby's going on removing clothes which i pack, i may end up travelling with just one pair of jeans and a tee shirt.

The hubby's always 'tsk...tsking' on how disorganised he thinks i am! I pack as if i'm travelling to Antarctica (Bangalore comes pretty close to it), i think he packs as if he lives on the beach...

as far as habits go, he and i are quite different!

When i work on my laptop, I generally have my Gmail, facebook, Yahoo, Skype and Word open in various windows. Not that everyone is dying to see me online or that I'm going to miss some very important mail, but then it's a habit. Whenever my son or hubby use my computer they promptly close down a few windows.

I hate it...


The other day, I sat at my computer after the hubby had used it and noticed that there was only Google open.

Muttering under my breath, I yelled " Why do you close my Windows? You know i don't like it"...

He yells back.."because i don't like it open...!!!!!"


My eyes widened and i was thinking of a retort suitably dripping with appropriate sarcasm, when i hear him continue" ...and then all the lizards and insects get in'


Oh!


He was talking about the bedroom windows, which i faithfully open every morning and he equally diligently closes after me!


Reminded me of this post i had written long time back!

See you guys soon and have a jolly good year, while i go open those windows and add more stuff into the suitcases! This trip is sure going to be fun!

off to get an education

For some reason, the days here are just whizzing past.

• There was a long, long Eid + national UAE break, where we saw a bit of Dubai, more specifically the green parks...What a sight for sore eyes.
  
• Finally school started and with it some semblance of a routine, especially in the bedtime! I didn't do a jig but came pretty close to it.
• The kids are having a great time at school. The 12 yrold had a rock concert at school! The younger one had a wild time at the Jumeirah beach park, eating icecream by the beach. Sigh...I wish i was invited to go too.

• I had my own fun too, got caught in a sandstorm, and ended up like sandpaper - quite a 'grit'ty experience too. The next day saw me rewash the laundry (i had forgotten to bring them in) and vacuum my balcony and the chairs. And then my sister in Boston tells me that they had a snowstorm! That's competition for you.
• A friend delivered her baby and it was a beautiful feeling to watch her five day old baby. I had forgotten that they were so tiny and fragile, and so magical.

Between all this we get to do some homework. One evening saw us tackling our opposites.

All was fine till we came to educated.

and I mused aloud: "hmmm...opposite of educated is uneducated, illiterate,...and..'

Him: 'what's uneducated?'

Me: "when you go to school, you learn new stuff and are getting educated...and the uneducated will be ...'

and he interrupts " someone like you, 'cos you don't go to school?"

Hey bhagwan, one image makeover please!!!!

Oh no!

I'm a bit forgetful.

I remember people's faces but not the name attached to the face. There are few who take extreme delight in calling me, and continuing the conversation animatedly, without introducing themselves, while i'm pressing 'ctrl Find' in my brain to figure out who they could be - meena?, teena? ya madhu!

There have been occasions when i've talked to someone for quite sometime, totally convinced that he/she was someone else!

I forget people's names, especially if i've just met them. There is this parent at my son's school who i very sweetly smile at and talk inane stuff. Yesterday, she asked me for my phone number, just in case she gets late to school, so that i could reassure her son.

Me: My no's __________. and the name is Suma.

She: Of course, i know your name. Besides, I never forget a name .

I think furiously, my name filing system in my head has gone haywire and so I flash my pearly whites at her, hoping she forgets to give me her number.

She: and this ***** is my number

Me: okay, and how do i spell your name? (smart, am I not?)

She looks at me and says slowly: "A.N.U"

Oh!

i feebly say: "not a.n.o.o?"

She laughingly replies: "You forgot my name, didn't you?"

Aiyo!

The first one to say that i deserved this

is so ....right!

So who's been missing me?

"How is Dubai? How are you?" ask many when they spy me online.

The problem with moving to a new country is that whenever someone asks you how you are, you are so tempted to tell them "how you are". The downside is that it may take 15 minutes and then that poor gal may say erm..."i just remembered i gotta go!"

The good so far:

• I like the place we've moved into.
• The kids have their own group down and they play cricket/soccer every evening. The elder one is the star of the group, that's what he so modestly told me. We asked him about his friends, the ones who give him a high five after every goal, and he shrugged his shoulder (that shoulder of his is sometimes the most communicative part). He just knew their names, why would he want to know anything more?"
• why indeed! uncomplicated and simple, that's my boy!
• and the younger one has been given a nickname - Bob! Noone's telling me why.
• The house is just five minutes away from the supermarket, 3 stops away from the nearest mall and a 10 minute walk from school. and it has quite a bit of greenery around. and birds!I like that a lot.
• I found an art center nearby where they have all sorts of shortterm courses...I plan to join whatever's available.

Now the not-so-good.

• I miss the easy accessibility of Singapore.
• I try to take the bus when I can but i dislike the staring that happens when i'm at the busstop.
• Every Saturday night, i think"oh great tomorrow's Sunday" and then it strikes me that Sunday in this place means a working day and then i go 'Oh GREAT!!!!! tomorrow's Sunday! sigh"
• I had three families over for a pre-diwali gettogether and i cooked a huge spread, all the while wishing they were not acquaintances but people i really knew and liked! and to think they were close to nice people. Making new friends is not as easy as it once used to be.
• I think with age, i'm getting to be the opposite of social.
• And my blog! The less said the better. The wordsmith in me has suddenly taken temporary retirement. The only phrases which come to mind regularly are 'eat your food' don't scream' get up, go to sleep' wash your hands' and shhhhh!
• I think i have the Dubai blues!

So, where am I?

24 months back, a family of four moved to Singapore. For a two year period. To give the kids some exposure. For a change. To see how different the cheese is. Ofcourse the husband's job required the move. The rest were just excuses to reinforce the decision.

Even though I've moved cities a lot during my childhood and after marriage, setting up a new home away from India was difficult. It was a new country. Besides, I never realised when i had let those roots grow deep enough to keep me connected to Delhi. It was tough to pack things up, and say goodbye!

But move we did and did a pretty good job of it too! We each found our bits of cheese in places we least expected. I found mine in blogging, something i was not aware of before. And just when we were beginning to sit back, it was time to move again. Oh my has it been 2 years already?

In addition to handling the pang I feel at the thought of moving away from the familiar, people seem to excel in telling me what to expect in the new place. When we moved to Calcutta, people painted a very gloomy picture of the place. It happened to be one of the best places i've lived in. Warm, inviting and addictive! So was our move to Bhopal. Contrary to popular perceptions, it is a lovely laid back city with a close knit community.

and now,

"Doooobai" drawled people in horror. and then went on to praise Singapore. "Look at the transport, the safety, the comfort, the weather; Singapore is the best, it is the best! "

Our house owner looked suitably mortified, and he said "you are going to dooobai. your wife will wear a booorkha?" sigh...

I went to see a 'few months' new son of a neighbor and she was a tough nut to crack. Everytime i said something about the baby, she would brush it aside and inform me about some new horror about dubai. By the time she had finished comparing the transport, the order, the comfort and started on the libraries, (and she has never visited dubai till date) I had reached the end of what ever little patience i never knew i had. I resorted to my diversionary tactic and turned to her baby and gushed "Oh my what an active little boy"

A master move, if it wasn't for that little fact that the darling had wisely fallen asleep a while back.

Sometimes i'm too smart for my own good.

Singapore, to us, was a wonderful two year vacation and we loved every day of it. People want to know how we do it. The moving around, i mean. I guess when you move as much as we do, it helps to avoid comparing. I would never be able to let go, if i did that. It is best to go to the new place with an open mind and most times you are pleasantly surprised.

Every move too has one panic stricken moment when i fast forward and rewind my whole life, and all i see are cartons and suitcases and packaging tape.

So here I am in Dubai. Comfortably settled in a serviced residence while we hunt around for a place to live in. There is a lot to get done.

and the mind overwhelmed with trying to get all the coordinates to meet somewhere, i turn on my laptop, quite eager to enter a world which has remained the same: familiar, inviting and a mood uplifter. and it is almost like i've never moved!

keep those comments coming, folks, they keep me sane.

Mujhe kuch kehna hai...

Just when i had mastered the art of spending in Sing dollars (without converting into indian rupees and gasping), it turns out i have to now think in dirhams.

That's why i'm a bit incommunicado these days, not that any of you are tearing your hair out in worry, but still....

:)


see you soon?

cutting the rat's tail...

Got you with that title... didn't I?

You know it's time to take some serious action when you find yourself unconsciously plaiting your hair because it's getting too long...bringing to mind a gawky school goer with two plaits in an identity crisis - aiming to be rat tails or pig tails?


So the impulsive me, entered a salon and surrendered my hair to the whims of a scissor happy, non English speaking stylist, who has now successfully converted the pig tail into a mop head.

To add fuel to my ire, the hubby looks at me, after a whole day, and says "Yikes what have you done to your hair?"

I still haven't decided what has upset me more - his noticing after a day, or his comment...!

Mega sized BAWL!!!!

Now please be nice and make me feel better?

Terimah kasi! (that's thank you in malay!)

added as an afterthought: the rat's tail is now in its new avatar - the mini pony tail...

A few side-effects...

Of Blogging!

Walking by the park and seeing an utterly delicious looking dad with a camera and clicking away pictures of his cute lil toddler from every corner of the playground, and the first thought which comes to mind is "Must be a daddy blogger!!!!"


Wanting to be caustic to the boys, but garnering admirable patience and coaxing the mouth to utter a friendly warning...'cos that's what responsible mothers do, even though my teeth have whittled away with all that gritting.


Realising that since blogging, spoken english has risen several notches on the "sound good ' scale and dipped alarmingly on the "understandability' scale, especially when spoken to the boys. From now, a simple "get your behind on the chair and finish your work" hollered in just the right tone will suffice instead of "you must try ..yadayadayada..." The first sign came many months back when the then 10 yrold and his father just gaped at me, after listening to a long passioned speech on self motivation!


Listening for the nth time, a neighbor's advice on how to feed my boys, and thinking, she must be a troll in her virtual avatar!


Looking at my blog and thinking it needs a makeover...again and scouting for new pictures even if the readers don't notice. (*this is the point where you are allowed to roll your eyes!)

Trying hard to ignore Google Reader which indicates that you have x no of blogs to be read, losing the battle and then subscribing to more blogs...


Being able to connect with others on the same virtual wavelength and actually have a wonderful time...


Being able to instantly share a touching video...(it's been making waves here in Singapore). Do watch it, and keep a tissue or handkerchief nearby


Find the beauty in your moments, even the imperfect ones and enjoy yourself, you never know how long it will last!

On that profound note, i do wish you a great weekend!

All a matter of perspective!

It's been one of those days where I’ve locked myself into the room after having performed a series of exemplary acts...I’ve rescued my towels from the dustbin (courtesy an absentminded son) saved my lights from being broken by a ball and myself from seeing stars by being socked by it, screamed my lungs out, managed to finish my editing work dead on the line, got dinner on the table and still been alive at the end of it all...

Grrrr...its no fun being a gal in all guy household...I've been brought up with two other gals(my sisters)and life was cool...And then I marry a guy who ironically has only brothers(and three of them!!!)So far so good...minor skirmishes...all forgiven in the bliss of wedded life...

Many years and two boys later...life is a medley...and I’m still finding my way. I am a woman literally in a man’s world. I think I’ve learnt to look at my roles from a different perspective. I wear many mantles and every day is a rollercoaster of emotions. A bird’s eye view …

• They go the kitchen and holler out for me as if the sky is falling down…I rush there only be asked where the sugar tin/cookies are? Huh??????? So am i the organization expert? This where perspective comes into the picture. i just perceive things faster...

• It’s no easy task to decide nutrtious meals for the day, trying to suit three hungry stomachs for there will always be one unhappy soul not liking the preparation. I’m nowhere in the picture of course! I’ll be delighted if the food does vanish without threats, bribes or tantrums. So does that make me a food management expert? a nutritionist or a cook? sigh..don't tell me, it's perspective...

• I trip over Lego pieces and supermen and the ghastly faces they call masks, only to be greeted with war cries of murder. So I have to pacify two angry boys with concocted stories of why I was rushing to the toilet, as if my life depended on it. That strikes too close to home and I’ve convinced them it was worth trampling upon their toys. Lo! Behold! I’m a crisis management expert.

• Cricket and football are the bane of my life and one day I may just sue the creator of the games. On second thoughts, I may be lynched by the cricket crazy fans before i even think of doing that, so it is time for subtle tactics. I’ve also noticed it’s a brilliant time to ask for something which you’ve wanted because the hubby is so engrossed he‘s going to nod whatever you say or do, even if you were to say you’re umm..test driving his precious car!!! So trust me to recognize an opportunity and turn it to my advantage!

• It needs great skills to involve every member of the house into tasks they don’t enjoy, without them realizing that they are doing it. It requires the right blend of firmness, nonchalance and voice power. Of course when nothing goes, an incentive works fine, just fine. That makes me a human resource management expert or a plain nag. see, again a matter of perception!

• Saying the right things at the right time, without hurting anybody’s feelings gets my diplomacy skills to the fore. How else will you answer the plaintive complaint “You love him more than me. You hate me”? He gets to hear how much more I would have loved him if I hated him, so that he wouldn’t feel hated. Got it, no? Neither did I? But surprisingly it made sense to him. Confuse the issues so that he does not realize whether he had a good thing or he missed one! That’s a diplomat at work.

not to mention the tactics employed to maintain bonding between one belligerent adult, a rebellious preteen and a hyperactive 5 yr-old... well, whom am i kidding!

But the icing on the cake is, after all the screaming, ranting and raving done, I still get the ‘You’re cool/you're beautiful' badge at the end of the day. So every day is my second chance to get it right and get that badge, (assuming of course that i want it everyday).... It is the best incentive I get to carry on for yet another day of an imperfect mother and an almost perfect wife!!!

Ah well, it IS after all, a matter of the right perspective… mine!!

For the record…no feelings were hurt in the posting of this thought, except mine!!

P.s...gals, please feel free to add to the roles above...I'm sure you agree, i've just scraped the iceberg...

P.p.s..It also appears that my boys are the smart ones, having figured out how to manipulate me emotionally!...sigh
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this just fit in very well with the writer's island prompts...